The Human Will and salvation

43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘ And they shall all be taught of God. ’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. (John 6:43-46 NASB)

Even those who most ardently proclaim the sovereignty of man’s freewill must honestly deal with passages throughout Sacred Scripture which make it clear that the human will of the natural man is incapable of attaining such a high role. In fact, God’s Word actually makes it clear that the Human Will is simply the faculty of choice with no inherent ability to make a decision on its own. It is the Human Mind that decides while the Will is the “faculty of choice, the immediate cause of all action.”1 Therefore, it is quite incorrect to allocate the sovereignty of choice to a mechanism within each of us, created by God, which enables us to carry out the volition of the mind.

God gave man the ability to choose, to make a choice of refusal or acceptance. However, the choice must first be presented to the Human Mind before a choice can be made. In other words, the choice will be made between two or more options based on preference. What is preference? Isn’t it the desiring one thing over other choices? I will usually choose a Snickers candy bar over a plain milk chocolate Hershey bar. However, if I am presented with the choice of a Hersey Special Dark chocolate bar over the other two, I will usually choose it. This is not rocket science. The Human Will is the mechanism my Mind uses to exercise my preferences. The Will is in no way sovereign. It determines nothing; it only attempts to carry out what my preferences are.

The rebellion against the Sovereignty of God through the teaching that He would in no way violate the “sanctity of the Human Will” is currently the predominate teaching in the visible Church in our time. This was not always the case. An honest audit of the heroes of the Church down through the ages, still revered in our time, show that they were predominantly Reformed in their theology. Their understanding of the role of Man in the relationship between our race and God was that He is sovereign and His people are partakers of His mercy through His grace to be in covenant with Him through the gift of faith and that this was according to His will and by His power (Ephesians 2:1-10). This relationship is in no way predicated on any volition by His people to somehow work to attain it, deserve it, or keep it.

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1-10 NASB)

Carefully and honestly read the passage above. How does the unregenerate Human Mind operate according the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit who is God? The unregenerate person, being dead in the trespasses and sins in which it walks, follows the course of the world, following the prince of the power of the air, Satan. The unregenerate person walks according the passions of the flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the MIND. The unregenerate person is, by nature, a child of wrath, as is the rest of unregenerate mankind. The Mind of the unregenerate person is in bondage to the passions of the flesh. Is there then an island of spiritual residue that chooses righteousness somewhere in this mass of spiritual blindness and bondage that chooses only to not pursue the desires of the flesh?

10 as it is written,“ There is none righteous, not even one;11 There is none who understands,There is none who seeks for God;12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;There is none who does good,There is not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NASB)

This is God’s indictment against our race. There is no one who has even a shred of righteousness within them that is able to NOT turn aside or to seek for God. This is very clear. So how is that people are able to exercise their will to choose to believe, repent, and become part of the family of God?

What is it that determines the will? We reply, The strongest motive power which is brought to bear upon it. What this motive power is, varies in different cases. With one it may be the logic of reason, with another the voice of conscience, with another the impulse of the emotions, with another the whisper of the Tempter, with another the power of the Holy Spirit; whichever of these presents the strongest motive power and exerts the greatest influence upon the individual himself, is that which impels the will to act.2

Before regeneration, a person is dead in trespasses and sins. He or she is spiritually dead. The Human Mind outside of the grace of God will always choose and act by exercising the Will to choose only things according to the passions of the flesh. This includes religiosity. I have counseled and encountered countless numbers of people who have reached the end of their ability to remain religious. Why? They can no longer exercise the Will to remain so because the motive to do so is no longer there. Some remain in their religion, albeit in an apostate state while others bolt or walk away. The desire to be religious is no longer there because whatever positive reinforcement they received for being religious has either gone away or something else is seen as more desirable to their MIND so they choose to pursue it. This is the state of the unregenerate religious Christian. Since they are not regenerate, they are still controlled by the passions of the flesh and are unable to any longer be religious through the exercise of their Human Will.

16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:16-19 NASB)

Before salvation, everyone regards Christ according to the flesh. However, all truly in Christ regard him thus no longer. Why? All in Christ are new creations. The old has passed away, the new has come, and all of this is from God who, through Christ, reconciled them to Himself. Do you see that the genuine Christian is made so by God? It is a supernatural thing. All of those He reconciles to Himself are new creations. What is this? This is the believer’s regeneration. Regeneration is the work of God in the believer in which he or she is brought from spiritual death to spiritual life to be born again (John 3:3; Ephesians 2:1-3; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 2:29; 1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:4). Within this process is also the forgiveness of sins paid for in Christ’s substitutionary death (Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 4:24).

What is the new reality for the born again believer? Unlike the unregenerate professing Christian, the old has passed away; behold the new has come. The old flesh driven value systems the believer had are no more. Priorities have changed. Faith is now alive and spirit-driven and this enables the believer to believe God and see through the lies of the enemy and his seed. The regenerate believer loves what God loves and hates what He hates. The Will of the regenerate believer is now held captive by a Mind that is in the process of sanctification becoming more and more holy as God burns away the residue of flesh driven rottenness from the heart. Evil and sin are still present because the flesh is still within, but the regenerate believer sees them in a new perspective and they are no longer in control.

No one is saved or becomes born again through the exercise of a “sovereign Human Will.” This would be antithetical to what God’s Word clearly teaches nor does it correctly address the actual role of the Will. The Mind controls the Will and an unregenerate Mind cannot choose to be a born again believer. No, God must first draw the believer to Himself then regenerate him or her to belief and repentance by His grace through the gift of faith. It is God’s good work from beginning to end. The spiritual difference between an unregenerate professing Christian and one who is born of God is sometimes only discernable by observing their fruit.

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self- control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:16-26 NASB)

Examine yourselves my brethren. Do you find your Will choosing things that are on the list the flesh desires? If so, then you are being controlled by the passions of your flesh and that means your Mind desires these things. This should be a huge red flag to you that something is not right with your spiritual condition. Take it to the throne of Grace. How are you doing on the second list? All regenerate believers should be manifesting this fruit at some level. The more mature in Christ we become the more this fruit should be seen in us by all those around us. Christians mature into this state through continual Mind renewal (Romans 12:1-2). If the believer’s Mind is renewed unto God continually like this then what will the Will choose?

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11 thoughts on “The Human Will and salvation”

But those who get their doctrine from the white spaces in their Bibles will cling to their god of libertine free will for the human creature; always bringing their view of God down below the level at which they view man, who is elevated to the glorious throne of being the savior of sinners by the exercise of his will. And they hate us who proclaim the Truth.

I try and not go there, as I can only judge what they say and cannot know what they actually may believe. But it is most difficult for me to treat them as brothers, while they call me names because I will not retreat from the Word.

I can’t agree with you on the mind being the start of the idol generation process. The mind can be turned off and focused to a single thought but the heart still worships its idols. I think you can sin without your mind. The mind does inform the heart but sin does not originate in the mind as the mind is only a doorway to the heart. The worst doorway is the eye but the eye itself doesn’t sin. The will has all of the control.

Mark, which means it is experiential. I get this sort of thing from people quite a bit. If something is not scriptural it cannot be used in doctrinal discussions especially where it comes up against that which IS scriptural. The will of man is just a mechanism of the mind. It does what the mind desires and no one can turn off the mind…No one…

Thanks again Mike. To God be the glory that only He deserves as He recreates His chosen ones. Ours is a privilege to ask Him to save even our loved ones, But understanding that He will do according to His perfect will. Oh how He pours out His grace and mercy upon undeserving sinners! Let us surrender to His will, even when we can’t understand when, and where, and whom He chooses to save. Thankfully, He does.

Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. (Colossians 1:24-26 ESV)

The way of escape

"To believe that He will preserve us is, indeed, a means of preservation. God will certainly preserve us, and make a way of escape for us out of the temptation, should we fall. We are to pray for what God has already promised. Our requests are to be regulated by His promises and commands. Faith embraces the promises and so finds relief." - John Owen

How to be free from bondage to our flesh and temptation

"If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: 'God, preserve my soul, and keep my heart and all its ways so that I will not be entangled.' When this is true in our lives, a passing temptation will not overcome us. We will remain free while others lie in bondage." - John Owen

Meta

About me

My name is Mike Ratliff. I am a δοῦλος (slave) of the Κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν (Lord Jesus Christ.) I have been a Bible teacher since the late 1980's. I am currently learning Koine Greek, which I began in 1992 and will continue to do so until the Lord takes me home. I am Reformed in my theology because I recognize that God is Sovereign over all things. I write these posts as God directs. I am also part of the discernment team at Christian Research Network.

OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT

by G. D. Watson

If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.

God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.

God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.